Guillaume Roy

FPInnovations held the world's first platooning tests on forestry roads in Rivière-aux-Rats, near La Tuque, QC, last week, paving the way towards the use of autonomous vehicles. This test, done in collaboration with Auburn University, Resolute Forest Products and Transport Canada, proved the technique can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%.

At the head of a curve on a forestry road, a first truck shows up, followed by another only 20 metres behind. All camera lenses are focused on the strange scene as the vehicles increase their speed to 70 km/h and the tension is palpable as the second truck closes in on the distance between the vehicle in front, made stranger by the fact that trucks routinely keep 1 km apart to avoid accidents.

The installation of a new turbine generator isn't expected to just generate new revenue for Domtar's Windsor, QC facility, it will also produce18 MW of electricity, optimize the mill's steam, all the while ensuring operational flexibility.

The sheer scale of the papermaking giant's operation is a force to be reckoned with. The facility processes 1.7 million cubic metres of wood each year, 80% of which comes from roundwood, the residual from wood chips.